Could John Daly really be turning it around this time?

Drastic times call for drastic measures, and kudos to John Daly, who’s competing on the European PGA Tour right now, for doing something drastic.

The two-time major winner has used a six-month suspension from the PGA Tour to reflect, evaluate and get some good advice.

According to a BBC story, he decided to undergo lap-band surgery earlier this year, and the result has been a loss about 4 stones, down from 20 a few months ago (that’s 56 pounds, down from around 280 pounds, for us Yanks).

“He unveiled his more slim-line shape at this week’s Spanish Open in Girona, showing off in a pair of eye-catching orange, pink and white harlequin-style trousers,” according to the story.

Here’s a guy who couldn’t control any of his excesses, so he had someone else ? a surgeon ? take care of at least one of them for him.

Lap-band surgery severely impedes a person’s ability to eat large or even “normal” quantities of food by severely decreasing the size of the useable stomach. It’s also conceivable that it would make drinking large amounts of alcohol very problematic.

Still, it’ll probably be tough hanging around Hooters (his sponsor) not being able to gorge on chicken wings and beer.

But lap-band can do nothing for some of Daly’s other compulsive behaviors like gambling or women (he’s been married four times) or smoking. He hasn’t quit smoking - that would be too much to give up too soon - but hopefully he got help for his gambling and dysfunctional relationships with women.

On that note, he has a new coach, Michigan’s Rick Smith, who worked with Phil Mickelson for many years. Daly also has been dating former Hooters girl, Anna Cladakis.

According to the BBC report, Daly says it’s “refreshing to have a positive coach along with a girlfriend to keep on motivating me and keeping a positive outlook on life.”

2 comments

Mike - thanks for writing something positive about John Daly. I Believe he is really making a great effort to turn both his game and his bad habits around. John has a great heart and as one of his many, many fans I wish for him to succeed.

I agree with Janie. I, for one, hate to see such a fan favorite continue to tank !! I really hope Big John turns things around. It would be such a great story if he comes all the way back to be a winner on the PGA Tour again !!! I am rooting for him !!!

The Accidental Golfer (AKA Mike Bailey) has spent more than 15 years writing about the game that has brought him unbridled joy and temporary bouts of insanity. Now a senior writer at WorldGolf.com, Bailey is a former senior editor for PGA Magazine, senior writer for Golfweek's SuperNEWS and Turfnet magazines and past president of the Texas Golf Writers Association. He has covered every facet of golf, including the PGA and LPGA Tours, equipment and course architecture, as well as the bane of his golfing existence: instruction. The last has led to at least 30 different golf swings, which all feel different but appear to his playing companions to be the same. Mike is on Twitter at
@AccidentlGolfer.

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